Maine Department of Health and Human Services
Commissioner’s Office
11 State House Station
109 Capitol Street
Augusta, Maine 04333-0011
Tel: (207) 287-3707; Fax: (207) 287-3005
TTY: Dial 711 (Maine Relay)
Janet T. Mills
Governor
Jeanne M. Lambrew, Ph.D.
Commissioner
MEMORANDUM
TO: Members, Government Oversight Committee
FROM: Department of Health and Human Services
DATE: October 18, 2023
RE: Additional information re: Call wait times and public phone lines at Maine DHHS
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provides public health, health
care, behavioral health, and human services through a number of programs. Those programs, by
definition, provide different services to different people. As such, DHHS does not run a single
call center but instead has distinct numbers. When possible, those call centers are consolidated.
Maine residents can call 211 to learn which one may best answer their questions or help them
address their concerns. In addition, the DHHS home page has a “hotline” button that brings
individuals to a list of numbers to call if a person needs urgent assistance. A list of the public-
facing phone lines is attached to this memo.
Further, we would like to provide the following information in response to requests that arose
during the September 20th meeting of the Government Oversight Committee:
What actions has the Department taken in response to the Federal government citing
Maine as one of sixteen states where call center wait time is impeding equitable access to
assistance and the ability of people to apply for or renew Medicaid, and that the State may
be in violation of Federal law?
The Office for Family Independence (OFI) operates a call center for individuals applying for or
renewing eligibility for MaineCare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and related
programs. The Department has and will continue to take steps to address increased call volumes
to OFI resulting from the end of extra federal support related to the COVID-19 pandemic. These
includes:
• Adding 50 contract staff in January to train and begin work in March 2023, adding
another 50 shortly after, and another 50 in September 2023 to assist eligibility specialists
and other call center staff in answering questions and processing MaineCare and SNAP
applications;
• Reassigning eligibility specialist staff to augment the call center staff regularly as
determined by projected work volumes;
• Approving overtime for employees to more quickly process calls since January 2023;
• Upskilling call center staff who are not eligibility specialists to enable them to better
assist eligibility specialists. Training began in January 2023 and continues as new
efficiencies can be gained;
• Adding new functionality in September 2023 to the OFI phone queue for callers to select
a MaineCare-only help line and an option for a call back for those wishing to speak to an
eligibility specialist;
• Expanding the call back functionality for all call center staff, not just eligibility
specialists – scheduled for November 2023.
The Department remains committed to continued improvement as we work to best serve the
people of Maine.
Senator Tipping referenced a constituent experience where an older Mainer was trying to
speak with someone regarding Medicare Parts C and D, after the insurance company
requested that she speak with the Maine Medicare office. The constituent reported that
calls were not being taken at all on a Wednesday, but that she could call on Thursday
starting at 7 am. When she called, she was on hold after 35 minutes and had to hang up.
OFI continues to work to reduce its call waiting time. Part of that work is ensuring Mainers know
the best number to call to get the help that they need. Medicare is a Federally run program and
the OFI call center cannot assist callers with questions about its Parts C and D. Insurance
companies should direct such individuals to 1-800-MEDICARE or 1-800-633-4227. Based on
this experience, the Department will remind insurance carriers in Maine about the different call
centers for different programs.
Why do some constituents’ experiences counter the data from the Office of Child and
Family Services (OCFS) about its call waiting time for its intake hotline?
The Intake Hotline is primarily for anyone to report a concern about child abuse or neglect. It is
separate from OFI’s call center and staffed by specialized OCFS workers who are trained in
receiving reports and determining how to address the concern. As previously presented, the
overall average wait time in August to speak with Child Protective Intake Hotline staff to report
suspected abuse or neglect was 2 minutes, 25 seconds. This is down significantly from April
2019, before OCFS upgraded the hotline technology, when the average wait time was 3 minutes,
16 seconds. OCFS in 2022 also launched online reporting for specific mandated reporters,
including school, medical, and law enforcement personnel.
The intake hotline is not the system for which biological or resource parents, Guardians ad litem,
and others communicate with Child Protective Service caseworkers about specific investigations
or cases. The speed of response to calls to caseworkers is dependent on a number of factors, such
as whether they are in the field or in court on a specific day, the urgency of the call, or the need
to find information to appropriately respond to the question asked. The OCFS practice guidance
is for a caseworker to return a voicemail as soon as is practicable and, whenever possible, no
longer than two business days after it was received.
DHHS Phone Lines
The Committee requested a list of public-facing phone lines for review. Please find these,
separated by Office, below:
Department of Health and Human Services
Program
Phone Number
Main Line, including Constituent Services
207-287-3707
Augusta District Office
207-624-8000
Bangor District Office
207-561-4100
Biddeford District Office
207-286-2400
Calais District Office
207-454-2417
Caribou District Office
207-493-4000
Ellsworth District Office
207-664-1400
Farmington District Office
207-778-8400
Fort Kent District Office
207-834-1000
Houlton District Office
207-532-5000
Lewiston District Office
207-795-4300
Machias District Office
207-255-2000
Portland District Office
207-822-2000
Rockland District Office
207-596-4200
Sanford District Office
207-490-5400
Skowhegan District Office
207-474-4800
South Paris District Office
207-744-1200
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Phone Number
207-287-8016
207-287-4064
207-287-4321
207-287-2906
207-287-3041
800-350-5180
800-698-3624
207-287-4298
207-287-3991
207-287-3856
207-287-5380
207-287-6582
207-287-5671
800-821-5821
207-287-2070
207-557-4214
207-287-4311 or 866-292-3474
207-287-5676 or 207-287-4770
207-287-4112
888-644-1130
207-287-3746
207-287-3747
207-287-1919
207-287-3711 or 888-664-9491
207-287-5500
207-287-5351
207-287-4627
800-784-8669
207-287-2727
Division of Licensing and Certification
Program
Phone Number
Central Office (automated menu)
207-287-9300
Sentinel Event Hotline
207-287-5813
Complaint Line
800-383-2441 (207-287-9308)
Home Health & Hospice Hotline
800-621-8222 (207-287-9302)
Office of Aging and Disability Services
Program
Phone Number
Central Office
207-287-9200 or 800-262-2232
OADS Crisis Hotline (contract with the
Opportunity Alliance, administered by OBH)
888-568-1112
Adult Protective Services Intake
800-624-8404 or 207-287-1234
Office of Behavioral Health
Program
Phone Number
OBH Main Line
207-287-2595
DEEP Intake Line
207-626-8600
DEEP Provider Line
207-626-8611
Prescription Drug Monitoring (PMP)
207-287-2595, Option 2
State Forensic Service General Line
207-624-4648
StrengthenME Warmline
207-221-8198
Peer Warm Line
866-771-9276
988/Maine Crisis Line
988 or 888-568-1112
211 Maine
211
Maine Frontline Warmline
207-221-8196
Teen Text Line (contracted with NAMI)
207-515-8398
Office of Child and Family Services
Program
Phone Number
Child Abuse/Neglect Hotline
800-452-1999
A Family for Me (contracted with Spurwink)
844-893-6311
Help Me Grow Maine
833-714-7969
Child Care Subsidy Program
877-680-5866 or 207-624-7999
Statewide Domestic Violence Helpline
(MCEDV funded to support 24/7 hotline)
866-834-4357
Sexual Assault Support (MECASA funded to
support 24/7hotline)
800-871-7741
Office for Family Independence
Program
Phone Number
Eligibility Division
855-797-4357
General Assistance Hotline
800-442-6003
Higher Opportunities for Pathways to
Employment (HOPE) Program
207-624-4170
EBT Card Service Line
800-477-7428
Disability Determination Services
207-287-9600 or 800-452-8718
Division of Support Enforcement and
Recovery (child support)
207-624-4100
Fraud Investigation and Recovery
866-348-1129
Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace
Program
Phone Number
Consumer Assistance Center
866-636-0355
Office of MaineCare Services
Program
Phone Number
MaineCare Member Services and Private
Health Insurance Premium Assistance
800-977-6740
Pharmacy Help Desk and Third Party
Liability Assistance
866-796-2463
Provider Services & Enrollment
866-690-5585
Modivcare Transportation Services
855-608-5174
MidCoast Connector Transportation Services
855-930-7900
Penquis CAP Transportation Services
844-736-7847
State Psychiatric Hospitals
Hospital
Phone Number
Riverview Psychiatric Center (24/7)
207-624-3900
Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center (24/7)
207-941-4000